newb tuning Qs

heya have a 5.0 with mild HCI (thumper b-cam combo and i am looking for more power.

with such a mild combo should i just be looking to get on a dyno and manually tinker with FP, and timing for maximum power??

i may be getting a SC soon i am not sure but then would i need to get a nice dyno computer tune? or could i still manually tinker with it myself??

also how do the dyno chip deals work, is it just come software a dyno man has and after you make runs and stuff he burns a chip that piggybacks into your computer?? and how much does that cost usually ( a ballpark guess)

and how much are the handheld tuners and do they work well and are they worth the price???

also

i have a painless wiring injector harness, the car is a 91 gt, and this harness is just the engine harness i think, its all the stuff that plugs into the salt and pepper shakers, the injectors and stuff like that, it also controls my ignition, as my spout is relocated under the dash right by the computer ( and the stock harness is tucked back in the engine bay. i also think it controls my MAF and stuff, and it also has its own connectors for taking engine codes.

i have a painless wiring injector harness, the car is a 91 gt, and this harness is just the engine harness i think, its all the stuff that plugs into the salt and pepper shakers, the injectors and stuff like that, it also controls my ignition, as my spout is relocated under the dash right by the computer ( and the stock harness is tucked back in the engine bay. i also think it controls my MAF and stuff, and it also has its own connectors for taking engine codes.

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I don't think I fully understand what you are describing?
You have 2 complete engine harnesses? Are they completely separate?

As long as the drivability isn't too bad, you should do well with fp and timing. Sometimes the Ford cams can induce some poor idle conditions though...

If you are going boost, I suggest a tune. It is a lot safer than guessing.

A dyno tune will result in you having a chip/module plugged into the J3 port of your ecu. The chip will contain settings which will over-ride the factory settings in the ecu.
Cost seems to be around 7-800 bones, depending on the tuning system, and where you are.
The alternative is for you to purchase a tuning system now, and start learning how to tune the car while it is still n/a.
This will give you time to pick up the basics before getting into the scary boost regions.

I don't think there are any 'handhelds' available for EEC-IV vehicles, unless you count the PMS...

thanks for the reply, and about the harness' the factory harness, the one that plugs into the big black and white (salt and pepper) plugs, that harness ISNT in the car, its in the garage sitting. this painless harnes runs into the firewall and duno if its plugged into the computer, it may look like there is a big black think piggybacking the computer but i duno if its factory? but some factory harness' are still tucked around in the engine bay, like the factory code scanner plug deals and the factory dizzy harness (module plug and SPOUT)

i am considering going back in and ripping that all out and trying to run the factory stuff, i duno why someone changed it in the first place.

thanks for the reply, and about the harness' the factory harness, the one that plugs into the big black and white (salt and pepper) plugs, that harness ISNT in the car, its in the garage sitting. this painless harnes runs into the firewall and duno if its plugged into the computer, it may look like there is a big black think piggybacking the computer but i duno if its factory? but some factory harness' are still tucked around in the engine bay, like the factory code scanner plug deals and the factory dizzy harness (module plug and SPOUT)

i am considering going back in and ripping that all out and trying to run the factory stuff, i duno why someone changed it in the first place.

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Is it possible to post a picture of the 'big black thing piggbacking the computer'???
This has my mind racing with the possibilities of what it may be
Is it plugged into the J3 port???

So you have an aftermarket harness running from the ecu to the salt and pepper shakers?
As long as everything is hooked up, and you don't get any codes from the ecu, then you should be fine.
It might make you feel better to yank that extra wiring out of the car???